When it came to testing Tinkatuff's new hammer's durability and destructive power, Lucas already had a plan.
He called for Arven and Paul, guessing they'd be arriving soon from Naranja Academy.
He sent Snover (who was helping Alcremie with new berry desserts) out to meet them at the farm gate.
Soon enough, Snover returned with both of them.
Because Naranja Academy required students to wear their uniforms outside, Paul still wore the uniform that didn't suit his appearance, but with autumn in full swing and the uniforms updated for fall, it looked better than the short-sleeved summer version.
Arven, however, fit the uniform well, highlighting his moody but youthful vibe.
To Lucas, Arven suited the Naranja Academy uniform, Nemona the Uva Academy uniform, and Penny—well, she never wore uniform.
"Teacher Lucas!"
Arven, just trying to convince Snover to let him try some of its fruit, brightened up at Lucas.
Ever since he heard he could go with Lucas to the Great Crater, his mood had visibly improved, the gloomy aura fading.
Seeing them arrive, Lucas gestured for them to hurry over.
"Thanks; you can go play now," Lucas said to Snover, patting its head, giving it leave to join Ninetales and company.
But Snover shook its head, wanting to train with Arven and Paul; it hoped to evolve soon.
Since it was so motivated, Lucas let it stay, thinking he'd pair it against Paul's Crocalor later, so it could truly feel how tough quadruple weakness to Fire was.
With that decided, Lucas looked at the two boys. "Did you guys tell Nemona you were coming?"
"No, definitely not," they both reassured him.
Arven was a pro at dodging Nemona after seeing her "stomp the baby cup" battles on their journey.
Paul, for all his legendary stamina battling Ash, simply couldn't handle Nemona's kind of match enthusiasm.
She'd gleefully drag out her top gym team, go all-out, and claim every battle should be at full power—no mercy: she was a natural "smurf".
Paul was nearly traumatized. Torterra's only real improvement lately was its resilience against Pawmot's "Iron Fist" pummeling.
Tough skin, thick shell.
Arven had weathered such storms many times; both agreed to sneak out from school.
"Good. Wait here, I'll go get ready."
With that, Lucas brought Snover to fetch Tinkatuff from the workshop.
He didn't want Paul and Arven telling Nemona about the hammer tests—not to isolate her, but because her team would be too strong for a real assessment.
Paul and Arven, on the other hand, were the perfect level—not too weak, not too strong.
With brief introductions, Lucas got down to business.
Paul sent out Torterra, Arven sent out Mabosstiff—their starter Pokémon, their trusted friends.
Especially Mabosstiff, who'd been with Arven since childhood.
Not as insanely trained as Nemona's Pawmot, but still perfect for hammer testing.
At Lucas's direction, Arven had Mabosstiff use "Triple Fang"—Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Fire Fang—on Tinkatuff's hammer.
Thunder and fire left mild marks; ice almost none.
Physical resistance was superb—but what about energy attacks?
Arven had Mabosstiff show off its signature move: an amplified "Snarl" packed with Dark energy, nearly matching "Boomburst" or "Hyper Voice" in power.
The only catch—long cooldown.
"Go, Mabosstiff, Snarl!"
With a mighty howl thundered with Dark energy, the attack hit the hammer, sending both Tinkatuff and the hammer flying several meters.
It looked like Thor flying by "meow meow hammer."
Paul and Torterra's triangle eyes widened. Mabosstiff still had surprises!
Tinkatuff returned from ten-plus meters away, hammer only showing a slight dent. Nowhere near breaking.
Tinkatuff was heartbroken, eager to get its hammer back to safety the moment testing ended.
The results: the new hammer had superb physical and decent elemental resistance.
If Tinkatuff had enough strength, it could use the hammer as a shield, then counter-strike powerfully.
Next up: attack testing.
Torterra, slow and unwilling, wondered why it kept getting punched by Pawmot at school only to get hammered out here.
Paul deadpanned: "Don't worry, Lucas has Comfey and Calyrex here. You won't die."
Torterra: "..."
Should I be thanking you for that?
Reluctant as it was, Torterra was still the tankiest around; it had to take this one.
Lucas even called Comfey over, finally coaxing Torterra to accept.
Under Paul's orders, Torterra shrank into its shell.
Defense rose!
Lucas nodded to Tinkatuff.
"Kanu!"
Locking eyes, Tinkatuff gripped its hammer, yelled, and swung down with all its might!
The hammer sliced through the air, meteor-like, trailing sharp wind and a crisp crack as it struck.
Tinkatuff swore it wasn't deliberate.
Right then, the Ice Fang residue within awakened a latent move:
Ice Hammer!
Suddenly Tinkatuff's hammer coated in ice, a frosty weapon cracking down upon Torterra's shell.
Crack!
The shell bounced sky-high, frost instantly spreading, and in moments, Torterra was a frosty block thudding to the ground.
Flying ice chips reflected the stunned faces of Lucas, Arven, Mabosstiff, Snover, Comfey, Paul, and Tinkatuff.
Crap! That's quadruple-weak to Ice; no way Torterra could survive that!
Lucas rushed to summon Moltres to thaw Torterra.
Once the ice melted, Lucas pulled Torterra's dazed head out.
Sure enough, it had spiraled eyes—one-hit KO'd by Tinkatuff's Ice Hammer.
Lucas rushed to have Comfey use Grassy Terrain plus Healing and Aromatherapy to rescue Torterra.
Tinkatuff huddled ashamedly at the side, apologizing to Paul and Torterra for accidentally triggering Ice Hammer.
Paul, knowing Pokémon sometimes accidentally unlocked new moves, didn't blame it.
He was only reminded to get Torterra a Yache Berry next time.
Excitement over, Lucas let Snover spar with Paul's Crocalor—predictably, Snover got roasted silly, finally relating to what Torterra felt.
The two boys stayed for lunch. Before returning to Naranja in the afternoon, Lucas privately warned Arven to prepare for their journey to the Great Crater in two days.
Time flew.
Exploring the dangerous Great Crater, both Clavell and Geeta excused Lucas from class, giving him paid leave to prepare.
He spent those days perfecting his plans and running the farm.
The new orchard was his main concern. Watching as the Applin adapted under Appletun's care, Lucas knew the harvest would soon rival—or surpass—even Kitakami's famous apples.
He looked forward to showing them off to Siebold.
…
October 30th.
The end of October signaled winter's approach. Lucas, having arranged Arven's absence with school, set off to Medali Town.
Geeta said to find Larry to arrange entry to the Great Crater.
Since he had Arven with him, and there was no rush, Lucas chose to explore the crater in daylight.
During official office hours, Larry was much more welcoming, sporting his best office-worker smile as he led Lucas and Arven to Area Zero's gates.
That familiar "beep" sounded. As Arven's face glowed with excitement, the approval voice echoed in the sealed chamber.
[Identity Confirmed: Paldea Elite Four Larry, Passcode Accepted, Palm Print Recognized, Iris ID Complete. Descent Gate Opening. Please Be Aware of Falling Risk]
With the machinery humming, the heavy doors parted, storm winds bursting inside.
All three held onto sturdy handles to keep their footing.
When Dragonite emerged from Lucas's Poké Ball, the wild winds calmed instantly. As a Flying-type Elite Four, Larry was impressed by Dragonite's air control.
Arven stared in awe at the clouds covering the crater. The sight left him speechless.
It was simply stunning.
Under Larry's gaze, Lucas had Arven sit in front, patted Dragonite's neck, and signaled they were ready.
Dragonite let out a melodious dragon roar, took a running leap, spread its wings, and—amid Arven's dramatic shriek—soared down into the sea of clouds.
Larry watched their backs vanishing into the mist. The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, and he whispered, "Safe travels."
…
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